FRINGE: After Dark – Lincoln Lee

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Fringe: After Dark – investigating Fringe, further.

In this evening’s After Dark segment, we look back at new Fringe Division head-boy, Lincoln Lee and his key character beats from the most recent episode, “Bloodline”.

Adjusting to New Role

After the death of Broylnate, Lincoln was put in charge of the Fringe Division operation, giving him more responsibility and increased access to  Walternate. He was the logical choice from a story point-of-view, but I had my doubts about his suitability, after all, he had big shoes to fill.

A quirky moment in “Bloodline” illustrated teething problems, as Lincoln and Charlnate both issue Henry with contradicting demands:

Charlnate/Lincoln: “Hands on the wheel!” / “Get out of the car!”

Henry: “Which is it?”

At the time this just struck me as being amusing, but it might also lend some insight into how Lincoln is adjusting to his new role. He clearly contradicted Charlnate, though not necessarily on purpose. It’s also worth remembering that back in “Immortality” Lincoln voiced concerns that he wasn’t seeing things that Broylnate would be able to. Struggles of inadequacy.

Redefining Relationships

Seeing Lincoln’s transition to a leadership position gives me a greater appreciation of the Broyles Boys; close to their agents, knowing their skill-sets, strengths and weaknesses. But they also made a decision to keep a certain distance.

There’s little doubt that Lincoln is an accomplished agent, but it’s interesting to see him so hung up on wanting best buddy Charlnate to call him “sir”. It’s the kind of banter they have and it’s fun to watch, but Lincoln really does want that respect. This is evidenced by how touched he was when Charlnate finally caved and doffed his cap to his new boss.

But Lincoln still has to earn the respect of his colleagues in this new role. He took big strides in “Bloodline”, but I still believe that he needs to become a more rounded leader. He doesn’t have to be Broyles (there is only one..well, two), but he can take a leaf out of the big man’s book. I’m certainly looking forward to seeing him develop.

Relationship with Altlivia

This leads into his relationship with Altlivia – a woman he clearly loves. He crossed a line by declaring his love for her. And by line, I don’t necessarily mean something he shouldn’t have done, but he’s pushed through a certain barrier.

How Will this change their relationship?

Well, firstly I think it has to change it. While she must have suspected his feelings for her, she now knows that he loves her – to the point where he pledged his dedication to her baby PBie.

Will this open Altlivia’s eyes to Lincoln’s qualities? Possibly. Let’s not forget that they ARE  really good friends and get on like a house on fire. But to bring them together for the sake of doing so would be (in my opinion) Fringe repeating the mistakes of Olivia/Peter. Relationships in sprawling stories have to be earned over time. I’m not looking for melodrama here.

But that’s another matter. The point is, I think there’s a possibility there, but Lincoln might not want to get his hopes up because the story I’ve been following has Altlivia recently in love with Frank and Peter (to varying degrees). And now she has a baby, so Lincoln might have to play the role of auntie and admire she who beguiles from afar.

Will he be a father figure to Baby PBie?

Auntie or father figure, sure, why not? He was there at the birth and made an impossible promise to save the child – one he might feel continually responsible to honor. But he also has to understand that PBie is Peter’s son (especially if Peter tries to have a relationship with the kid). As we’ve seen, it can be a tricky thing to find the balance of love and understanding.

Walternates N’ All

What’s great about this situation now is that Lincoln and Charlnate are both suspicious of Walternate. Lincoln knows that Walternate withheld mission information from him. Which was his prerogative, but due to Lincoln’s feelings towards Altlivia I expect this to take on a more personal tint. Walternate essentially put Lincoln’s friend (and imaginary lover) at risk, all the while Broyles has mysteriously vanished.

Walternate himself said that Lincoln is a smart agent, so it shouldn’t take him and his buddy cop too long to put the pieces together. What, if any, action they take may well tie into Altlivia and her perspective of the two worlds situation. I expect the three of them to level up the playing field in a bid to work out the bigger picture.

Of Knowing

I imagine he’ll reflect on it. He knows he should have listened to Charlnate’s earlier suspicions. In his defence he was going through burn trauma at the time, and it’s not like had he made a commitment to Altlivia like, say, Peter did with Olivia. So he might have more of an excuse for not spotting that she had gone. That said, it might cause him to doubt how well he really knows Altlvia.

He may even be miffed that she didn’t confide in him upon her return from the Blueside.

I would hope for at least a moment or two illustrating Lincoln’s monologue. It would certainly do wonders for his character, who could well be one to watch going forward.

Further points for consideration:

• Should Lincoln have figured out that Walternate was behind Altlivia’s abduction?
• Is Lincoln long-term leadership material?
• Lincoln’s increased focus in the story comes at a time when his double on the Blueside comes into the central fray. Coincidence?

In the upcoming days we’ll have more Fringe: After Dark!

If you have any thoughts on the above points or the topic in general, feel free to share in the comments.

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Tagged as: after dark, bloodline, fad, Fringe, fringe after dark, lincoln lee